DESCRIPTIVE 

CATALOGUE! 

OF   THE 

ARCHAEOLOGICAL, 
HISTORICAL  AND   ARTISTIC 

COLLECTIONS 

OF 

EUFEMIO  ABADIANO. 


NEW  ORLEANS  : 
Franco-American  Print,  102  Chartres  Street. 

1885.  f- 

w 


V 


DESCRIPTIVE 

OF   THE 

ARCH^OLOGICAL, 
HISTORICAL  AND   ARTISTIC 

COLLECTIONS 

OF 

EUFEaiIO  ABADIAXO. 


NEW  OK LEANS: 
Franco-American  Print,    102  Chartres  Street, 

1885, 


J 


REMARKS. 


Desirous  that  the  monuments  of  American  antiquity 
that  are  found  scattered  throughout  the  continent,  many 
of  which  are  now  ready  to  be  lost  sight  of,  may  be  better 
known  and  studied  by  the  scientific  world,  we  have  formed 
the  project  of  gathering  together  in  one  grand  collection 
their  exact  reproductions,  along  with  everything  in  the 
way  of  publications  and  explanations  relative  thereto. 
The  only  records  left  us  by  the  primitive  races  of  this 
continent  are  their  monuments,  the  archaeological  value 
of  the  study  of  which  needs  not  to  be  dwelt  upon.  They 
reveal  to  us  the  degree  of  scientific  and  artistic  culture  to 
which  some  of  these  peoples,  apart  entirely  from  all  con- 
tact with  the  old  world,  had  arrived.  Our  present  collec- 
tion, brought  together  under  innumerable  difficulties  and 
at  great  cost,  while  it  is  composed  of  the  most  valuable  of 
American  antiquities  (comprising  the  most  notable  posses- 
sions of  the  National  Museum  of  Mexico  and  monuments 
from  various  parts  of  that  republic)  is  not  yet  as  complete 
as  we  would  desire,  and  will  be  added  to  in  the  future  as 
opportunity  may  present. 

If  we  have  committed  errors  in  this  catalogue  in  our  ef- 
forts to  throw  a  little  light  on  these  relics  of  ancient  Amer- 
ican civilization  there  are  those  who  are  wiser  than  we 
that  will  detect  them,  and,  we  hope,  will  excuse  them,  tak- 
ing into  account  the  little  that  is  known  as  yet  of  Amer- 
ican archaeology.  If  the  brief  explanations  here  given, 
though  most  insufficient  for  the  importance  of  the  subject, 
serve  to  give  to  those  unacquainted  with  ancient  American 
history  a  slight  knowledge  of  the  civilization  that  flour- 
ished here  in  the  past,  and  awaken  a  desire  for  further 
research  on  a  topic  so  entertaining,  we  shall  be  content. 

EUFF.MIO  ABADIANO. 

New  Orleans.  April  5,  1885. 


MEXICAN  ANTIQUITIES. 


No.  1. 
Aztec  Calendar  Stone. 

Diameter,  3.35  metres,  cylindrical  part. 

Among  the  many  deities  adored  by  the  Indians,  the 
principal  was  the  sun,  to  whom,  like  ancient  nations  of  the 
old  world,  paid  homage  not  only  the  Mexicans,  but  all  the 
more  civilized  peoples  of  both  Americas.  In  Mexico 
temples  and  pyramids  were  erected  in  his  honor  and 
reverence  religiously  paid  him  by  all.  Before  his  image 
sculptured  on  this  stone  in  human  form,  at  feasts  in  his 
worship,  incense  was  burned,  sacrifices  offered  up  and 
prisoners  slain,  while  the  people,  old  and  young,  did 
penance,  slitting  their  ears  and  drawing  blood  to  propitiate 
themselves  in  his  favor.  (1) 

The  mythology  of  the  Mexicans,  the  source  of  all  light 
on  the  study  of  their  monuments,  commences  with  the 
creation,  the  origin  of  their  gods  and  the  human  race, 
one  of  the  first  legends  of  which  is  that  of  the  four  cosmo- 
gonical  suns.  They  believed  the  sun  had  died  four  times, 
or  that  there  had  been  four  suns,  each  of  which  had  ended 
in  a  universal  cataclysm,  and  that  the  sun  which  still 
lighted  them  was  the  fifth  — shown  on  the  stone  by  the 
ceDtral  figure,  the  four  rectangular  figures  adjoining 
representing  the  four  past  suns. 

According  to  Gama,  the  stone  is  a  calendar  for  that  part 
of  the  year  between  the  spring  and  autumnal  equinox, 
showing  all  the  various  movements  of  the  sun  and  the 
time  at  which  should  be  celebrated  the  principal  feasts  of 
the  nation,  these  latter  corresponding  nearly  always  to 
some  celestial  phenomenon.  The  figure  made  by  the  four 
rectangles  in  the  center  is  also  the  well  known  sign  of 
Nahui  Ollin,  or  the  four  movements  of  the  sun.  The  figures 
in  the  circle  just  outside  of  this  represent  the  twenty  days 
into  which  they  divided  their  month,  and  the  eight  large 
angles  in  form  of  A  their  divisions  of  the  day.  Signs  of  the 
constellations  are  found  by  some  in  the  outer  circles.  The 
stone  served  also  as  a  sun-dial,  by  which  the  priests  knew 
daily  the  hours  for  their  ceremonies  and  sacrifices.  Gno- 
mons or  hands,  the  holes  for  which  are  still  visible  in  the 

(1)  Gama,  p.  91. 


margin,  were  fixed  above  the  stone,  the  time  and  move- 
ments of  the  sun  being  shown  by  their  shadows. 

The  weight  of  this  monument  is  calculated  at  twenty- 
one  tons,  and  as  there  is  not  to  be  found  within  twenty-five 
or  thirty- miles  of  the  Mexican  capital  a  like  class  of  stone, 
it  is  not  easily  imagined  how  the  Mexicans  moved  a  mass 
so  enormous  to  their  great  temple. 


No.  2. 
Teoyoamiqui,  or  Goddess  of  Death. 

Height,  2.566  m.;  width,  1.536  m. 

On  the  13th  of  August,  1790,  this  statue  was  discovered 
in  the  main  plaza  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  where  it  had  lain 
interred  since  the  time  of  tlie  conquest.  It  is  the  opinion 
of  Humboldt  (1)  that  this  and  other  idols  were  buried  by 
the  soldiers  of  Cortez  to  hide  them  from  the  sight  of  the 
Aztecs,  it  is  inferred,  that  they  might  the  more  readily 
forget  them  and  embrace  the  Christian  faith  ;  but  it  is  more 
logical  to  suppose  that  they  were  hidden  beneath  the  earth 
by  the  Aztecs  themselves  in  the  latter  days  of  the  siege  of 
their  capital  to  prevent  them  from  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  conquerors.  The  same  illustrious  author  cited 
above  opines  that  much  light  might  be  thrown  on  the  an- 
cient civilization  of  the  Americans  by  making  excavations 
in  the  environs  of  the  Cathedral,  near  which  was  the  main 
square  of  the  antique  city  of  Tenochitlan  and  the  market 
Tlaltelolco,  whither  the  Mexicans  in  the  last  days  of  the. 
siege  retired  with  their  household  gods,  their  sacred  books 
and  all  the  more  valuable  of  their  possessions. 

It  is  seen  by  the  breast  that  this  statue  represents  a 
woman  ;  her  face  substituted  by  the  heads  of  two  snakes, 
whose  bodies  twine  both  in  and  around  her  person ;  her 
skirt  formed  of  many  snakes:  around  her  neck,  a  collar 
composed  alternately  of  hands  and  pouches  containing 
incense  for  the  gods;  and  lastly  a  human  skull  at  hei 
waist  in  front  and  a  like  one  behind.  The  statue  in  its 
original  position  was  supported  by  two  pillars  beneath  the 
elbows,  leaving  the  ba,se  free  of  the  ground,  and  on  the 
bottom  is  engraved  a  figure  like  that  found  on  the  image 
of  Mictlanteuhtli. 

The  statue  is,  says  Gama,  a  compendium  of  many  divin- 
ities, representing  principally  the  goddess  Teoyoamiqui, 

(1)  Vues  des  Cordilleres. 


whose  office  it  was  to  gather  in  the  souls  of  those  killed  in 
battle,  it  being  supposed  that  their  souls  went  to  the  man- 
sion of  the  sun  in  heaven,  being  transformed  after  a  certain 
time  to  humming-birds.  Chavero  holds  that  it  represents 
the  earth-god  Coatlicue.  (1) 


No.  3. 
Mictlanteulitli. 

Diameter,  1.20  in. 

Mictlan  was  the  name  given  by  the  Mexicans  to  the  place 
whither  went  the  souls  of  those  who  died  from  natural 
causes,  which  region  was  presided  over  by  the  god  Mictlan- 
h'nlitii a,nd  the  goddess  Mictecacihxatl,  these  correspondiog, 
asGama  observes,  to  Pluto  and  Prosperina  of  the  infernal 
regions  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans.  These  dark  and  dismal 
parts  were  supposed  to  exist  in  the  center  of  the  earth,  and 
the  temple  dedicated  to  this  god  was  called  Tlaxico,  which 
signifies  the  bowels  or  interior  of  the  earth. 

The  image  of  the  god  is  sculptured  in  relief  on  the  circu- 
lar stone.  With  it  are  several  human  skulls,  being  the 
manner  in  which  it  is  represented  on  other  Indian  monu- 
ments. 


No.  4. 
Cuauhxicalli  of  Tizoc. 

Diam.,  2.65  m. ;  height,  0.84  m.  ;  ciicuni.,  8.28  in. 

This  monument,  commonly  known  as  the  "Sacrificial 
Stone,"  was  encountered  in  the  principal  plaza  of  the  city 
of  Mexico  on  December  17,  1791,  at  a  slight  depth  below 
the  surface.  It  is  a  historical-religious  monument.  On  its 
face  is  seen  sculptured  the  image  of  the  sun,  to  whom  it  is 
dedicated,  after  the  manner  in  which  the  Aztecs  always 
represented  him.  On  the  convex  surface  of  the  cylinder  are 
fifteen  groups  of  two  persons  each,  showing  one  victorious 
warrior  clutching  by  the  hair  various  prisoners,  these 
latter  representing  sb  many  conquered  tribes,  the  names 
of  which  are  found  in  the  hieroglyphics  accompanying 
each  one.    A  woman  figures  as  the  prisoner  in  two  of  the 

(1)  Anales  del  Masco  Nnoinnal  de  Mix.,  v.  II.  p,  293. 


— 6— 

groups,  the  tribe  subjected  being  probably  ruled  by  a 
queen.  The  conqueror  is  Tizoc,  sixth  king  of  Mexico,  who 
occupied  the  throne  from  1481  to  1486,  and  the  monument 
commemorates  the  victories  of  this  monarch  over  the 
tribes  represented  on  the  circumference  of  the  cylinder. 

In  Mexico  there  existed  an  order  of  nobles,  "  Knights  of 
the  Eagle,"  whose  patron  was  the  sun.  Over  this  stone, 
they  used  to  sacrifice  in  certain  solemnities  a  human  vic- 
tim to  whom  they  gave  the  name  of  "  Messenger  of  the 
Sun."  Father  Duran,  one  of  the  earliest  historians  of 
Mexico,  graphically  describes  this  sacrifice  in  his  work. 
"Historia  de  las  Indias." 

It  is  thought  that  this  stone  may  also  have  been  used  as 
a  complement  to  the  calendar  stone,  to  complete  the 
calendar  of  the  year,  the  figures  on  the  top  of  the  stone 
giving  grounds  for  such  supposition. 


No.   5. 
Chac-Mool. 

Length,  1.46  in.;  width,  0.77  m.;  height,  1.07rn. 

This  statue  was  discovered  by  Dr.  A.  LePlongeon  in  the 
ruins  of  Chichen-Iza,  Yucatan,  and  afterwards  removed 
by  the  Mexican  government  to  the  National  Museum. 
The  history  of  this  discovery  and  the  diverse  opinions  about 
this  famous  monument  may  be  found  in  the  "  Anales  dei 
Museo  Nacional  de  Mexico,"  v.  I,  p.  270.  The  archaeolo- 
gist by  whose  efforts  it  was  brought  to  light  says  it  is  not 
an  idol,  but  a  statue  of  Chac-Mool  (signifying  tiger)  king 
of  the  Atzaes,  erected  to  his  memory  by  his  wife,  the 
queen;  that  it  is  of  great  antiquity,  probably  twelve 
thousand  years ;  and  that  in  the  inscription  on  the  cover- 
ing of  the  ears  are  found  corroborations  of  these  assertions, 
as  well  as  other  data  relative  to  the  history  of  this  king. 
The  fact  that  there  have  been  found  in  the  valley  of 
Mexico  and  in  Tlaxcala  statues  of  similar  form  has  given 
rise  to  the  supposition  that  they  all  represent.one  divinity, 
worshipped  alike  in  Mexico  and  YuGatan. 

Chavero  in  his  studies  on  the  subject  concludes  that  the 
statue  in  question  is  the  god  of  fire,  and  that  the  disc 
which  he  holds  in  his  hands  represents  the  sun. 


—7— 
No.   6. 
Commemorative   Stone. 

Length,  0.88  ru.:  width,  0.60  m. 

This  stone  was  made  to  commemorate  the  foundation  of 
the  great  temple  of  the  Aztecs  in  their  capital.  From  its 
description  and  the  interpretation  of  its  hieroglyphics  by 
Fernando  Ramirez  (1)  we  take  the  following : 

"In  Mexico,  as  in  Judea,  there  was  a  king  who  thought 
to  erect  a  temple  that  should  be  the  surprise  and  marvel 
of  all  nations  for  its  magnitude  and  magnificence,  but, 
like  his  Jewish  predecessor,  he  had  only  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  gathered  together  his  immense  materials.  The 
glory  of  the  completed  work  commenced  by  this  king, 
Txzoc,  was  reserved  for  his  successor,  Ahuitzotl. 

"  The  effigy  of  Txzoc  is  shown  on  the  left,  the  symbol  of 
his  name,  a  leg,  being  found  near  his  shoulders.  On  the 
right  is  seen  the  terrible  and  sanguinary  Ahuitzotl,  whose 
symbolical  name  is  represented  by  a  small  animal  of  fan- 
tastic form  in  the  same  manner  as  that  of  Txzoc.  The 
whole  shows  that  the  temple  was  commenced  by  this 
latter,  finished  by  the  former,  and  afterwards  destroyed 
by  the  conquerors  and  missionaries,  our  magnificent 
Cathedral  now  occupying  the  ground  where  once  stood 
the  pride  of  the  Aztec  kings." 

On  the  lower  part  of  the  stone  is  seen  sculptured  eight 
reeds,  which  correspond  to  the  year  1487,  the  date  of  the 
completion  of  the,  temple.  To  make  more  solemn  the 
dedication,  King  Almltzotl  proposed  to  immolate  a  largely 
increased  number  of  human  victims  in  sacrifice. 

This  act  of  the  Mexican  king  has  caused  his  uame  to  be 
perpetuated  till  to-day  as  a  synonym  of  cruelty  and  per- 
secution. 


No.   7. 
The  Mexican  Cycle. 

Length,  0.41  m.;  diatn.,  0.16  m. 

The  day  was  divided  by  the«Aztecs  into  certain  equal 
periods  of  time  corresponding  to  our  hours,  determined  by 
observations  of  the  course  of  the  sun  and  stars.  Every 
fifth  day  was  a  day  of  rest,  called  Ttanquiztti  and  five  of 
these  periods  formed  a  Mexican  month  of  twenty  days 

(1)  Preseott's  Conquest,  with  notes  by  P.  Ramirez. 


— 8— 

Eighteen  months  made  360  days,  to  which  were  added  five 
supplementary  days  to  complete  the  year.  The  centuiV 
or  cycle,  was  composed  of  fifty-two  years 

?£*&}}****  to  vhioh  we  reter  is  composed  of  a  bundle 
nim Tr ?!iletrWlt-h  C01-^'  representing  a  cycle,  or  xuihmol- 
mlh  in  the  Mexican  idiom,  the  signification  of  the  word 
being  a  union  of  years. 

The  most  notable  of  all  the  feasts  of  the  Aztecs  was  that 
which  took  place  the  first  day  of  the  century.  From  super- 
stitious causes  they  feared  the  destruction  of  the  world  at 
the  end  of  the  century,  and  the  populace,  expectant  and 
HI  «  *  passed  ^e  last  night  in  the  greatest  consternation 
All  fires  were  extinguished,  household  goods  were  des- 

X°Jnna£nl  JeTls-  thrown  away.  supposing  them  useless 
thenceforth.  An  immense  procession  took  its  way  to  the 
mil  ot  Ixtapalapa,  near  Mexico,  on  whose  summit  were 
performed  the  ceremonies.  At  exactly  midnight  a  human 
sacrifice  was  offered  up,  and  over  the  victim's  still  palpi- 
tating heart  the  priests  with  the  aid  of  two  dry  sticks 
ignited  the  new  fire  which,  with  lightning-like  rapidity' 
was  carried  to  all  the  temples  and  houses  of  the  capita 
and  the  surrounding  country.  This  was  to  the  people  the 
joyful  tidings  that  the  world  would  exist  for  another  cen- 
tury, and  the  happy  issue  was  celebrated  by  various  suc- 
cessive days  ql  feasting  and  rejoicing,  all  giving  them- 
thelfpast  fears'"617  t0  pleasure  and  PrompOy  forgetting 


Ko.   8. 
Grijrantic  Head. 

Height,  0.91  m.;  width,  0.55  in.;  circmii.,  2.23  m. 

This  beautiful  sculpture,  resembling  so  much  Egyptian 
work,  is  believed,  from  the  place  in  which  it  was  found  to 
have  occupied  a  position  in  the  great  Aztec  temple.  With 
considerable  show  of  reason  it  is  believed  bv  some  archae- 
ologists to  represent  the  lost  Atlantis.  The  head-dress  of 
water  dotted  with  shells  suggests  her  position  in  the  midst 
ol  the  sea ;  the  piece  on  top  of  this  symbolizes  her  sunken 
or  covered-up  condition,  and  the  closed  and  covered 
mouth  her  unknown  history  and  her  silence  forever 

S^1'108  Bustamente  opines  that  the  head  represents  the 
goddess  Temazcaltoai;    Chavero  that  it  represents  Totev 
(Crod  in  his  excellence),  one  of  the  most  splendid  manifes- 
tations or  the  sun. 


— 9— 
No.    9. 

Monolith  of  Tenango. 

Height,  1.79  in.;  width,  0.51  m.;  thickness,  0.205  m. 

In  the  Vatican  at  Rome  is  conserved  a  manuscript  repre- 
sentation by  the  Aztecs  of  the  same  subject  engraved  ou 
this  monument,  viz. :  the  four  cosmogohical  suns,  repre- 
senting the  four  fatal  epochs  in  nature,  which  according 
to  their  historical  and  legendary  lore  had  taken  place. 
Following  are  the  names  and  the  order  in  which  they  are 
put  by  the  best  authors  who  have  written  on  the  subject : 
First  epoch,  Atonatluh,  or  water  sun  (corresponding  to  our 
deluge) ;  second,  Eheaatonatiuh,  or  wind  sun;  third,  TleJo- 
natiuh,  or  fire  sun  ;  fourth,  Tlaltonatluh,  or  earth  sun.  (II 

This  monument  is  from  the  town  of  Tenango,  Mexico. 


No.  10. 
Goddess  of  Water; 

Height,  1.45  iu.;  width,  0.75  m. 

This  statue  is  from  a  mountain  nearTlalmenalco.  Accord- 
ing to  Chavero  it  is  the  goddess  of  water  Plialchiuhtlicue, 
with  her  characteristic  head-dress  adornments,  sister  of 
the  gods  of  water  called  Tlaloques.  Great  reverence  was 
paid  to  this  class  of  divinities  in  those  parts. 

Near  where  this  statue  was  found,  at  the  edge  of  Tex- 
coeo,  half  buried  in  a  ravine,  is  found  a  colossal  statue  of 
this  same  deity  some  thirty  feet  in  height. 


No.  11. 
Cross  of  Palenque. 

Length,  1.897  m.  :  width,  1.256  in. 

The  general  worship  of  the  cross  by  the  aborigines  of 
this  continent  was  noted  with  some  surprise  by  the  first 
writers  on  American  history,  and  a  great  variety  of  opin- 
ions is  shown  in  the  effort  to  explain  its  presence  in  these 
parts.  To  many  it  is  an  evident  proof  that  Christianity 
was  taught  here  at  a  remote  period,  in  time  this  doctrine 

(1)  Humboldt :  Viiee  dcs  Cordilleres;  v.  I.  p.  118. 


—10— 

becoming  disfigured  and  mixed  with  the  false  religious 
ideas  of  the  Indians.  This  supposition  is  strengthened  by 
many  traditions  of  the  ancient  Mexicans.  To  others  the 
rross  is  an  astronomical  sign,  the  indication  of  the  four 
winds,  the  four  seasons,  etc.,  and  known  from  times  very 
remote,  as  it  was  in  the  old  world. 

The  inscriptions  and  figures  on  this  cross  are  but  little 
understood,  and  its  history  entirely  unknown.  On  the 
right  is  the  figure  of  a  priest  offering  up  a  child  to  the 
sacred  bird  of  fantastic  form  perched  on  top  of  the  cross. 
The  cross  terminates  at  the  bottom  in  a  large  face,  with 
mouth  opened  and  a  peculiar  adornment  hanging  from 
the  nose. 

The  original  tablet  of  the  cross  as  it  existed  at  Palenque 
in  the  "  Temple  of  the  Cross  "  was  composed  of  three 
parts,  a  piece  covered  with  hieroglyphics  fitting  on  each 
side  of  this  ceutral  part,  one  of  which  is  in  the  Smithsonian 
Institute  at  Washington  and  the  other  at  Merida,  Yucatan. 


No.  12. 
Yoke  of  Orizaba. 

Height,  0.46  in. ;  width,  0.33  m. ;  thickness,  0.13  m. 

This  sacrificial  yoke  is  from  Orizaba,  is  an  original,  and 
is  like  the  one  described  in  ':  Prescott's  Conquest,  with 
notes  by  Bamirez."  It  is  of  a  stone  excessively  hard  and 
of  a  green  color.  The  sculpturing  is  artistically  wrought ; 
a  head,  as  of  a  snake,  appearing  at  the  top  of  the  yoke, 
and  the  whole  is  highly  polished. 

These  yokes  were  used  in  the  human  sacrifices,  there 
appears  little  reason  to  doubt,  being  put  over  the  neck  of 
the  unhappy  victim  preparatory  to  taking  out  his  heart. 
As  such  rites  were  only  practiced  in  the  greater  temples  of 
the  country,  the  number  of  these  sacrificial  implements  is 
not  many,  and  they  have  only  been  found  where  such 
grand  temples  existed. 


No.  13. 
Cilmacoatl. 

Height,  0.0  in. 

This  statue  represents  a  woman  dressed  and  adorned  in 
the  style  of  the  Aztec  nobility.    The  hands  and  feet  of  this 


—11- 

statue  have  been  restored.  The  rattlesnake  found  en- 
circling her  waist  makes  it  seem  very  probable  that  it  is  a 
statue  of  the  goddess  Cihuacoatl,  or  snake-woman,  the  Eve 
of  the  Aztecs,  from  Avhom  they  believed  the  whole  human 
race  to  have  descended. 


No.  14. 

Yohualteuhtli. 

This  beautifully  worked  figure  appears  to  us  to  represent 
the  same  serpent  engraved  on  the  outer  circle  of  the 
calendar  stone,  Yohualteulttli,  described  by  Gama  on  page 
100  of  his  excellent  work.  The  human  face  in  the  mouth 
of  the  serpent  on  the  calendar  stone  is  seen,  though  mucli 
disfigured,  on  the  coiled  serpent,  and  the  arm  and  claw  is 
seen  plainly,  the  figures  on  the  bodies  of  the  -two  being 
also  very  similar. 


No.  15. 
Bass-Relief  from  Palenque. 

Height,  1.2  m. ;  width,  0.3  m. 

This  piece  is  notable  for  the  artistic  workmanship  dis- 
played thereon.  A  man  is  represented  undergoing  a  pun- 
ishment of  some  kind,  with  his  hands  tied  behind  him,  an 
expression  of  extreme  pain  being  pictured  in  the  face  and 
attitude  of  the  prisoner. 

It  is  supposed  from  the  hieroglyphics  to  have  come  from 
Palenque. 


No.  16. 
Palenque  Divinity. 

Height,  0.563  m. 

This  figure,  of  a  style  original  and  elegant,  and  of  beau- 
tiful execution,  gives  a  good  idea  of  the  progress  and  the 
artistic  taste  of  the  Mexican  tribes.  According  to  the 
description  of  M.  Dupaix  (1),  it  represents  a  god  with  the 

(1)  Airtiquite's   Mexicaines,  examou  des  planchee  <Je  la  deuxifeu 
expedition,  p.  58. 


—12- 


attributes  that  characterize  the  active  principle  of  nature 
that  produces  the  fruit  and  grain.  It  is  the  god  that 
creates  and  conserves,  and  is  ever  in  hostility  with  the 
destructive  genius.  On  its  head  is  a  diadem  of  large 
plumes  in  form  of  an  arc,  sign  of  its  importance.  On  its 
torehead  is  shown  the  great  snake  called  by  modern 
astronomers  "Eve's  serpent,"  whose  presence  in  the 
heavens  signifies  harvest  time.  This  celebrated  serpent 
figures  in  ancient  mysticism  as  Serapis  in  Egypt  as 
Wlschnou  in  India,  Vitzlipultzi  in  Mexico,  Fohi  in 'China 
Msculapie  in  Greece,  and  as  Thor  or  Asa-Thor  in  Scandina- 
via. From  the  ears  of  corn  that  adorn  its  temples  and  the 
vessel  in  its  hands,  it  is  thought  to  represent  the  god  of 
abundance  and  of  medicine,  worshipped  indistinctly  in 
ancient  Egypt  under  the  name  of  Serapis  or  Osiris  Onno- 
p/trio. 


Nos.  17,  18,  19,  20. 

Mythological  Animals. 

Under  this  head  we  have  the  representation  ofVarioin 
animals,  among  them  that  of  the  feathered  serpent,  of 
winch  there  are  two  specimens. 

This  reptile  played  a  very  important  part  in  Mexican 
tradition.  Attention  is  called  to  No.  19,  an  ocelotl  or  tiger 
trom  the  town  of  Tlalmanalco,  which  has  the  skeleton  of 
the  back-bone  exposed  to  view,  a  particular  the  significance 
of  which  is  unknown.  Hieroglyphics  on  the  ears  of  this 
animal  are  noted  to  be  somewhat  similar  to  the  figure  on 
top  ot  the  head  of  Chac-Mool.  Another  animaf  of  this 
class  is  an  enlarged  representation  of  a  frog,  number  20 


No.  21. 
Red  Painted  Idol. 

Height,  1.10  ni. 

This  is  the  name  by  which  it  is  known  in  the  National 
Museum  of  Mexico,  though  it  is  our  opinion  that  the  color 
which  it  had  when  found  was  given  to  it  in  times  posterior 
to  the  conquest.  It  was  encountered  in  the  town  of  Tlal- 
manalco, situated  over  the  base  on  which  it  now  standi 


which  latter  is  covered  with  beautiful  carvings  in  the  Gre- 
cian style. 

The  face  of  the  statue  is  covered  with  a  mask,  as  can  be 
plainly  seen.  From  the  forehead  backwards  over  the 
shoulders  depends  a  beautiful  head-dress;  sandals  are  on 
the  feet;  the  whole  body  appears  as  if  covered  by  a  gar- 
ment of  fine  texture  on  which  are  depicted  flowers  and 
some  hieroglyphics  similar  to  those  on  the  base;  around 
the  neck  hang3  a  string  of  claws  shaped  like  those  on  the 
feet  of  the  goddess  Teoyoamiqui;  its  aspect  as  a  whole 
being  rare  and  curious. 

Chavero  thinks  the  statue  represents  the  god  Bcosauh- 
qiti. 


No.  22. 
Statue  of  a  Humpback. 

A  very  life-like  representation  of  a  humpback  is  here 
given,  the  head  is  enveloped  in  a  tight-fitting  cover,  on 
the  right  side  of  which  is  the  symbolical  sign  of  its  name. 

The  significance  of  this  sign  is  a  bundle  or  union,  hence 
it  is  inferred  that  the  statue  may  represent  the  inventor 
of  the  instrument  by  which  the  reform  in  the  calendar  was 
made  at  the  end  of  each  century,  the  .vhihmolpilli,  or  union 
of  years.  We  had  in  our  possession  some  years  ago  a 
document  in  the  Mexican  language  which  said  that  the 
king  Tizoc  had  a  humpback  son,  and  it  is  possible  that 
this  figure  is  a  representation  of  him. 


No.  2:5. 

Statue. 

Height,  0.77  metres. 

There  is  a  great  resemblance  between  this  statue  and 
that  of  Chcdchiuhllmce,  or  the  water  goddess,  which  deity 
it  probably  represents.  Various  marks  at  different  heights 
on  the  sides  of  this  statue,  (supposed  to  have  shown  the 
different  levels  of  the  water  of  Lake  Texcoco,  with  which 
the  City  of  Mexico  was  surrounded  in  those  times)  go  als<> 
to  show  that  this  statue  is  a  representation  of  that  same 
deity. 


—14— 

No.  24. 
Funeral  Urn. 

Diam.,  0.66  m.,  depth.,  0.256  in. 

Superstitious  ideas  in  regard  to  the  future  life  have  been 
the  origin  for  the  most  part  of  the  ceremonies  practiced  in 
paying  a  last  tribute  to  the  dead,  and  among  the  Mexicans, 
as  well  as  among  many  other  peoples,  these  ceremoni*^ 
took  sometimes  a  barbarous  form.  On  the  death  of  a  king 
or  one  of  the  nobility  the  body  was  burned  on  a  funeral 
pyle  and  the  bones  and  head,  or  sometimes  only  the  ashes, 
put  in  an  urn  adorned  with  pictures  of  idols,  over  which 
was  placed  the  image  of  the  deceased  in  painting  or  in 
sculpture.  In  ancient  Egypt  very  similar  urns  were  used 
in  a  like  manner. 

This  urn  is  covered  on  the  convex  surface  with  many 
skulls,  and  on  the  inside  is  beautifully  carved. 


Kos,  25,  26. 

Funeral  Urns. 

These  two  urns  are  of  marked  Egyptian  style  in  the 
sculpturing,  and  are  very  like  those  found  in  the  Egyptian 
gallery  of  the  Royal  Museum  of  Paris.  Their  form  is 
quadrilateral  and  their  size  shows  they  were  used  to  con- 
tain the  bones  as  well  as  the  ashes  of  some  important 
personage. 


No.  27. 
Great  Vase  or  Tub. 

Diam.,  1.07  in. ;  depth,  0.47  ni. 

Little  is  so  far  known  of  the  history  or  use  of  this  notable 
work.  The  figures  sculptured  on  the  bottom  and  circum- 
ference are  similar  to  those  on  the  "Vase  of  the  Sun." 
described  by  Sanchez  in  the  "  Anales  del  Museo  de  Mexico. " 

In  an  old'Aztec  document  representing  a  gift  by  the  kin ^ 
of  Texcoco  to  the  king  of  Mexico  is  a  figure  very  similar  I  • 
this.  From  various  water  animals  found  sculptured  on 
the  base  it  is  thought  to  be  commemorative  of  the  first  sun 
of  the  Aztecs,  or  the  deluge.  It  is  a  monument  on  which 
much  study  could  be  profitably  spent. 


—15— 

No.  28. 
Bass-Relief. 

Commemorative  of  an  inundation. 


Nos.  29. 

Aztec  Nun. 

Humboldt  describes  a  statue  in  "  Yues  des  Cordilleres," 
vol.  1.  of  which  this  is  an  almost  exact  representation.  In 
the  head-dress  there  is  a  surprising  similarity  to  the  veil 
or  valantica  found  on  the  statues  of  Isis,  on  the  Sphinx  and 
on  a  great  many  other  Egyptian  statues. 


No.  30. 
Chapolin  or  Grasshopper. 

An  enlarged  figure  of  a  grasshopper.  The  perigrina- 
tions  of  the  Aztec  tribe,  when  they  came  from  the  north, 
ended  at  Chapultepec  (hill  of  the  grasshopper)  near 
Mexico,  of  which  event  this  figure  is  commemorative. 


No.  31. 
Statuette. 


A  small  statue  of  the  goddess  Cihuacoatl  or  snake-woman. 


No.  32. 

Face  of  Chinese  Type. 

The  Chinese  features  of  this  face,  or  mask,   are  very 
marked. 


No.  33. 
Obsidian  Vase. 

The  work  on  a  vase  of  intricate  pattern  made  of  this 
material,  which  is  as  hard  and  brittle  as  glass,  is  almost 


—16— 

incredible,  especially  when  it  is  considered  that  the  use  of 
iron  was  entirely  unknown  to  the  ancient  races  of  Mexico. 


No.  34. 
Vases. 

These  are  small  reproductions  of  some  notable  antique 
vases  brought  from  the  ruins  of  Yucatan. 


-*-  • 


PAINTINGS. 

In  this  collection  are  found  the  best  works  of  the  Mexi- 
can artists  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  as 
well  as  some  by  European  masters.  The  subjects 
represented  are  chiefly  religious  and  historical. 


BOOKS. 

On  Mexican  archaeology  and  the  ancient  history  of 
America,  as  well  as  many  very  valuable  rare  and  ancient 
works. 


r?t  ltd 


